Massive Washington wildfire only 16% contained

A complex of fires in north-central Washington has burned about 379 square miles — more than four times the size of Seattle — making it the largest wildfire in the state since record-keeping started.
VPC

KING-TV, Seattle-Tacoma, Wash.
6:29 p.m. MDT July 22, 2014

Parker Barth surveys the damage to his home at the Alta Lake Golf Course in Pateros caused by a wildfire in the Methow Valley in central Washington. Barth's family bought the course in 1984.(Photo: Alex Rozier, KING-TV, Seattle-Tacoma, Wash)

SEATTLE — Cooler temperatures and some rain may aid firefighters trying to control a massive complex of fires in north-central Washington that is now the largest wildfire in state history.

Fire crews made progress Tuesday with officials estimating the Carlton Complex Fire at 16% contained, up from 2% on Monday.

"If the weather holds, as it is now, we may have more success today," fire spokesperson Jessica Payne said Tuesday.

Winds were not expected to be a problem Tuesday evening. Forecasters said a stormy day Wednesday could bring heavy rain to western Washington and thunderstorms to eastern Washington where lightning could spark new wildfires.

Payne said the wetter weather also brought concerns about the potential for flash flooding as a result of loss of ground vegetation that has been burned away.

There is a Red Flag Warning through 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time Wednesday in the southern part of the state and between the Cascades and the Washington-Idaho border. The biggest threat is frequent lightning combined with possible 40 mph winds and dry fuels.

The fire has burned about 400 square miles — more than four times the size of Seattle — making it the largest wildfire in the state since record-keeping started.

In all, some 150 homes have been lost in the Carlton Complex Fire and 1,200 homes have been evacuated in 12 towns.

The Carlton Complex Fire has become the largest fire in Washington state history, larger than the Yacolt Burn, which consumed 238,920 acres in southwestern Washington in 1902 and is the largest recorded forest fire in state history, according to HistoryLink.org, an online resource of Washington state history. The Yacolt Burn killed 38 people.(Photo: KING-TV, Seattle-Tacoma, Wash.)

Many towns in the scenic Methow Valley remain without power and have limited landline and cellphone service. Fully restoring power to the area could take weeks, Okanogan County Public Utility District officials told KREM-TV in Spokane.

The towns of Brewster, Pateros, Twisp and Winthrop were temporarily powering water systems and sewer services by generator, said Mark Clemens, a spokesman at the state Emergency Operations Center.

The state estimates that about 7,000 electricity customers are without power, Clemens said.

More than 100 Washington National Guard soldiers are supporting state Department of Natural Resources firefighters, Clemens added. National Guard helicopters have dropped more than 500,000 gallons of water on the fires.

The Carlton Complex Fire started as four smaller fires sparked by lightning July 14. Those fires merged into a 28-square-mile fire by Thursday night before expanding to nearly 336 square miles by Saturday.

A firefighting aircraft drops water near Fishtrap Lake on July 20 near Cheney, Wash. (Photo: Jesse Tinsley, The Spokesman-Review, via AP)

Richard Pitkethly, left, and Randy Loucks search for belongings in a home owned by Loucks' mother-in-law after a wildfire destroyed the structure in Pateros, Wash., on July 17. Loucks had just finished sprucing up the house with new paint and carpet as a surprise for his mother-in-law, who is visiting relatives in Arkansas. (Photo: Stephen Brashear, Getty Images)

Flames from the Chiwaukum Creek Fire burn through a forest on July 17 near Leavenworth, Wash. The blaze closed a section of U.S. Highway 2 and forced the evacuation of 900 homes. (Photo: Ted S. Warren, AP)

Jana Witkowski, a lifeguard at a swimming pool, scoops up embers and ash in Leavenworth. The pool was closed due to the amount of burnt particles in the water. (Photo: Don Seabrook, The Wenatchee World, via AP)

A large smoke cloud rises over a wildfire in Seattle. Governors in Washington and Oregon have declared states of emergency, which enables state officials to activate the National Guard. (Photo: Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com, via AP)

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighter Sergio Barajas, second from right, picks up his laundry at All American Tent Rental at the Shasta District fairgrounds in Anderson, Calif. (Photo: Greg Barnette, The Record Searchlight, via AP)

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Greg Alex, left, and forester Damon Denman work on the Next Generation Incident Command System at the Bully Fire base camp at the Shasta District fairgrounds in Anderson. (Photo: Greg Barnette, The Record Searchlight, via AP)

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At more than 250,000 acres, the Carlton Complex is larger than the 1902 Yacolt Burn, which consumed 238,920 acres in southwestern Washington and was the largest recorded forest fire in state history, according to HistoryLink.org, an online resource of Washington state history.

The fire is being blamed for one death. Rob Koczewski, 67, died of an apparent heart attack Saturday while he and his wife were hauling water and digging fire lines near their home. Koczewski was a retired Washington State Patrol trooper and U.S. Marine.

The number of homes destroyed remained at 150, Payne said.

President Barack Obama arrived in the state for a fundraiser, and Gov. Jay Inslee was scheduled to meet with him in the afternoon to provide a briefing on the fires.